For months we have watched and suffered through the GOP presidential primaries and caucus’. There have been many debates and stump speeches of which we only clips on the news. The media have been very busy and they have taken insults hurled at them in stride. Did you realize that no GOP candidate has criticized the leaders of the Congress and how, as president, they would get along? Is their silence evidence that they agree with the GOP party’s lust for the power of winning the Whitehouse? Do they look forward to being congratulated by Senator Mitch McConnell for their participation in The War to Make Barack Obama “a one term president”?

The candidates do not offer their take on Congress’ refusal to govern— to negotiate with President Obama over raising the debt ceiling– which led Standard and Poors to lower our “AAA” credit rating. When hurling opposition to the President they do blame the President which is a lie. The candidates are not speaking out in opposition to voter suppression in red states where Republican legislatures have created a solution for a problem that does not exist. They “invented” voting fraud as a problem with our elections. The real fraud is minimal and so slight that it is measured in decades. The genesis of these mostly “photo ID” laws started during Jim Crow era after “The War Between the States.” They were called “poll taxes” then; and there were other unfair ways to deny the vote to freshly freed slaves who, of course, were lacking in education and sophistication. Because of their earlier history, there are some states which are under the supervision of The Voting Rights Act. Under that legislation, the Attorney General of the United States can invalidate laws passed by states who seek to disenfranchise blacks and other minorities. Having had her voter suppression law invalidated, Gov. Nikki Haley is spending 1 million dollars to sue the federal government to get the right to take the vote away from 200,000 blacks and Latinos in the great state of South Carolina. Gov. Rick Perry, who failed as a candidate for the presidency, is in the process of having his voter suppression act invalidated because it takes away the vote from Texans of Latin descent. Whites in Texas tried to use the vast travel distances in Texas which work a hardship on minorities who have to make major, for them, expeditions to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles to get a driver’s license with “photo ID.” Let’s urge Eric Holder to be more public and more active early in 2012 in striking down all these attempts by Republican governors and their Republican dominated legislatures to manipulate the national election, state-by-state, to win the Presidency on November 6, 2012 and grab the immense power of that office.

The Civil War, or The War Between the States, was in the 1800s. But in 2012 there are still some disgruntled whites in South Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama who think that “The South Shall Rise Again.” It is comforting to know that today’s white youth do not have the hate which fuels the continued evil of race wars. Texas has its own story with the influx of Mexicans and South Americans into the state. The phrase, “The New South” has been around for a while. Young people will forge and even newer South where a man is ‘judged by the content of his character and where little black and white boys and girls can play together.’ Bless you, Dr. King!

Newt Gingrich‘s win of South Carolina was not a surprise because he showed that he was so smart that he could conduct a campaign there that was steeped in the state’s historic racial hatred. He marshalled their hatred of black President, Barack Obama and turned it into victory at the ballot box. But, then, South Carolina is a “red state.” It was no surprise that Newt Gingrich won the state of Georgia calling it his home state. It was a surprise to many that a northerner and a Catholic, last night would win primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. Racists(?) there were willing to put aside their race hatred to help the Republic Party which has not done much to help them lately. Curious. It was not a surprise to hear on the news that voters were overwhelmingly white. Where is the Democratic National Committee? I am sure they are doing good work. However, democrats marooned in “red states” are lonely and they want to feel more of a part of the election. If you are one of these democrats, encourage your family and friends to get with the times and GET ON THE INTERNET! There we can all feel a part of a vital and burgeoning community of good. God bless America!